1 John 1:1 kjv
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1 John 1:1 nkjv
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life?
1 John 1:1 niv
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched?this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
1 John 1:1 esv
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life ?
1 John 1:1 nlt
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
1 John 1 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 1:1 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. | Christ's pre-existence and deity. |
| Jn 1:14 | The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory... | The Word's incarnation and visibility. |
| Jn 20:27 | Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” | Jesus inviting physical contact to confirm His reality after resurrection. |
| Lk 24:39 | “Look at My hands and My feet. It is I myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” | Jesus showing His physical body post-resurrection. |
| Lk 1:2 | just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, | Apostolic eyewitness testimony. |
| Acts 1:21-22 | Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us... | Criteria for apostolic witness: having seen Christ. |
| Acts 2:32 | God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. | Apostolic witness to Christ's resurrection. |
| Acts 10:39-41 | “We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen... by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.” | Eyewitness account of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, including eating with Him. |
| 2 Pet 1:16 | For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. | Affirmation of eyewitness testimony against myths. |
| Phil 2:6-8 | Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He emptied Himself by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man... | Christ's divine nature and true humanity/incarnation. |
| Col 1:15-17 | The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created... | Christ's pre-eminence and role in creation. |
| Heb 1:1-2 | In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son... | God's ultimate revelation through His Son. |
| Heb 2:14 | Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death... | Christ fully partaking in human flesh and blood. |
| 1 Jn 1:3 | We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. | Purpose of the apostolic testimony: fellowship. |
| Jn 1:4 | In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. | Christ as the source of life. |
| Jn 6:68 | Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” | Christ's words bring eternal life. |
| Col 3:4 | When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. | Christ as the believer's life. |
| Acts 5:20 | “Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life.” | Proclaiming the message of life in Christ. |
| Rev 1:8 | “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” | Christ's eternal existence and power. |
| Prov 8:22-23 | “The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” | Wisdom personified (often seen as pointing to Christ's pre-existence). |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | Concept of "the beginning." |
1 John 1 verses
1 John 1 1 Meaning
First John 1:1 declares the absolute reality and tangibility of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His eternal nature, pre-existence, and His physical manifestation to human senses. The verse acts as a profound apostolic affirmation, stressing that the truth about Christ, the eternal "Word of life," is not based on mere myth or philosophical speculation but on the direct, sensory experience of the apostles themselves, ensuring the authenticity and historicity of the Christian message and the genuine humanity of the Lord Jesus.
1 John 1 1 Context
1 John 1:1 serves as the crucial opening statement of the first epistle of John, setting the foundational truth for the entire letter. The immediate context of the chapter focuses on fellowship with God, the nature of God as light, and the need for purification from sin. This verse lays the essential groundwork for fellowship by unequivocally stating that the object of Christian faith—Jesus Christ—is not a mythical figure but a historically verifiable, tangible person. Historically, John was addressing the spread of proto-Gnostic and Docetic heresies in the early church, which denied the true humanity of Jesus, asserting He was only a spirit or appeared human. By beginning with a barrage of sensory verbs and emphasizing Christ's physicality and pre-existence, John directly counters these false teachings, establishing that salvation rests on a real, incarnate Son of God, whom the apostles directly witnessed. The letter then proceeds to explain how this reality informs Christian life, doctrine, and ethics.
1 John 1 1 Word analysis
- What was: Points to the eternal existence and nature of Christ before time and creation, indicating His being rather than a beginning of His existence. It is not something that came into being, but that which has always been.
- from the beginning (Gk: ap' archēs): This signifies an absolute beginning, similar to Jn 1:1 ("in the beginning"). It points to the eternity and pre-existence of Christ with God the Father before creation. It sets the scope of Christ's existence beyond His earthly life, aligning with His divine nature and the very origin point of reality itself.
- which we have heard (Gk: akēkoamen): Denotes apostolic audition; the direct reception of Jesus' teachings and His words, confirming the verbal communication received from Him. It implies direct listening to the divine Word as it manifested in human form.
- which we have seen with our eyes (Gk: heōrakamen tois ophthalmois hēmōn): Signifies direct, personal visual observation of Jesus by the apostles. This emphasizes His physical, visible presence, challenging notions that He was merely an illusion or spirit.
- which we have looked at (Gk: etheasametha): This term goes beyond casual seeing (horao). It implies a prolonged, contemplative, and careful gaze, signifying intense observation and thorough examination of Jesus' person and deeds. It conveys certainty derived from deep engagement.
- and our hands have touched (Gk: kai hai cheires hēmōn epsēlaphēsan): This is the most profound assertion of Jesus' physical reality. It emphasizes tactile interaction, countering any Docetic idea that Jesus was not truly human or lacked a physical body. This speaks to intimate, physical verification of His humanity, especially relevant in His post-resurrection appearances (e.g., Lk 24:39).
- concerning the Word (Gk: peri tou Logou): "The Word" here (
Ho Logos) is unequivocally Jesus Christ, aligning with the concept introduced in Jn 1:1. It refers to the personal, divine agent of creation and revelation who became flesh. - of life (Gk: tēs zōēs): "Life" here (
zōē) refers to eternal, spiritual, and divine life. Christ is not merely one who brings life or speaks about life, but He Himself is the essence and source of all true life, spiritual and eternal. He is the life that God grants.
1 John 1 1 Bonus section
The structure of 1 Jn 1:1, beginning with "What was" rather than "Who was," might seem impersonal at first. However, this impersonal "What" transitions swiftly into the personal "Word of life," indicating that John starts with the fundamental truth of the incarnation—what appeared—before fully unfolding who this was. It links the eternal divine reality to its historical manifestation. The repetition of "we have" (perfect tense) indicates a past action with continuing results and abiding certainty; their initial experience of Jesus remains valid and true. This accumulation of sensory verbs serves as a profound apostolic appeal for credulity and an immediate frontal assault on burgeoning heresies that claimed Jesus did not truly come in the flesh (cf. 1 Jn 4:2-3). It establishes that Christian faith is grounded in an empirical, testable reality, not mere intellectual assent or speculative theory.
1 John 1 1 Commentary
First John 1:1 is a powerful and concise declaration of the apostolic encounter with Jesus Christ, affirming His dual nature: His eternal divinity and His genuine, tangible humanity. John's layered sensory appeals (hearing, seeing, beholding, touching) function as irrefutable eyewitness testimony, providing the bedrock of Christian faith against prevailing heresies like Docetism and Gnosticism that sought to spiritualize Christ to the point of denying His flesh. The "Word of life" identifies Jesus as the pre-existent, eternal Logos, the very source and embodiment of divine life, who manifested physically within human history. This foundational truth assures believers that their faith is anchored not in abstract concepts or fleeting spiritual experiences, but in the historic, incarnate Son of God. This authenticity is critical, for genuine fellowship with God and access to His light flow from belief in this very real Christ, whose blood cleanses from all sin. It highlights that the gospel is verifiable through sensory experience, underscoring its historical credibility.